Modern vehicles are subject to ever increasing demands in terms of comfort, fuel consumption and emission requirements. In order to be able to meet these demands, the vehicles are equipped with more and more electronic components. These components have to be connected to various control units by some form of cabling, which is normally unlikely to cause any major problems. Problems do arise, however, when a component is to be fitted on or close to the engine or when the cabling has to be run on or close to the engine. It becomes especially difficult when a component is fitted on the hot side of the engine. On an in-line engine, the hot side is the side on which the manifold is fitted.
When a component is to be fitted on the hot side of the engine, then it has to be designed such that it withstands the high temperature generated by the engine. This can be achieved by choice of material, shielding and/or cooling. The cabling connecting the component to the electrical system of the vehicle also has to be dimensioned to withstand the high temperature.
Traditionally, cabling made of a variety of heat-resistant materials has been used to cope with high temperature requirements, for example teflon or silicone cabling. The drawback with these cablings is that they are expensive, apart from which the materials are difficult to work, which adds to the cost of connecting the cabling both to the component and to the connector. Certain temperature-resistant materials are, moreover, toxic, which makes them harder to handle.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,301,421, 5,670,860, EP 1026703 and EP 0408476 describe cabling having integrated cooling ducts for cooling away power dissipations in the cabling. Common to these documents is the fact that one or more hoses or pipes are combined with one or more electrical conductors to form an electric cabling. A cooling medium can then be conducted through the hose/pipe in order to cool the cabling. The aim of these proposals is to cool high-duty cabling so that the cabling does not intrinsically overheat. These proposals require both special production and special connectors, which becomes extremely costly. Moreover, the cabling in hot environments is not thereby protected, since the cooling is integrated in the cabling. The outer sheath of the cabling is therefore unprotected against heat radiation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,099 and EP 0823766 describe cabling used for electric cars, in which the battery pack is charged inductively. To prevent the inductance coil from becoming overheated, it is cooled via cooling ducts integrated in the cabling. In these documents, too, one or more hoses are combined with one or more electrical conductors to form a cabling. A cooling medium can then be conducted through the hose in order to cool the inductance coil. These proposals, too, require both special production and special connectors, which becomes extremely costly. Moreover, the cabling in hot environments is not thereby protected, since the cooling is integrated in the cabling. The outer sheath of the cabling is therefore unprotected against heat radiation.
US 2002017390 Al describes a cable with cooling in the outer sheath intended for laying in hot pipes, for example district heating pipes. This proposal, too, requires special production and special connectors, which becomes extremely costly.
DE 10012950 Al describes an air-cooled cable system in vehicles, in which one or more cables is/are disposed in a corrugated hose or in a corrugated hose system.
The cables are held centered in the hose by a number of distancing elements. Cooling air is blown into the hose system by means of a cooling fan. This cable system, too, requires a special production, which becomes expensive and unwieldy.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,955 describes a cabling in which cooling ducts and electrical conductors have been combined to allow the transmission of both electric power and cooling function in a common cabling. This document, too, describes the transmission of a cooling medium to a component, not a means of protecting a cabling from heat and heat radiation.